Should So Called "Legal Highs" Really Be Legal?

In the UK we have a load of drugs, which just skirt the law by roaming into the realm of "legal highs." Normally these drugs are untested, unlicensed, and potentially lethal, but because they're not "controlled substances" they're in a legal grey area. Now a new one, "Annihilation" is apparently putting people in hospital. Should they be banned?

Often these drugs are sold as "herbal," which can basically mean anything. Annihilation, for instance, is made from a synthetic form of cannabis and causes increased heart rate, paranoia and aggression, which sounds totally awesome to me. Why anyone would take it I have no idea.

Don't get me wrong, I'm of the mind you can stick whatever you like into your body as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, but these "legal highs" are thought of as safe because they're not banned, and, frankly, that's not true. Hell, you'd be better off taking heroine or cocaine from the point of view of well documented biochemical and psychological evidence as to what they actually do to you -- not that I'd recommend taking either, mind you.

So what do you think? Should we just get on and ban them? Or should it be up to the user to determine if they're safe -- bugger off Nanny-state we know what we're doing? [Metro]